1. Field of the Invention
The invention comprises a bracket for supporting medical instruments in a sterilizable tray in which the bracket body is formed primarily from resilient silicone and is strengthened by a relatively rigid, spring tempered, metal interior skeleton.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common practice to put medical instruments on trays and place them into high temperature environments for the purposes of sterilization. Steam heated autoclaves are probably the most common device used for killing germs and other biohazards. The instruments to be sterilized are generally placed in trays which, in turn, are placed into the cleansing environment. In order to keep the instruments from moving, it is fairly common practice to separate and support them with brackets.
Instrument supporting brackets can take several different forms. Perhaps the most common form is a custom tray which includes custom made brackets laid out according to the specific request of the customer. An outline of the instrument to be supported is frequently printed on the bottom surface of the tray so that accurate instrument positioning is achieved. It is also common practice to place an English language legend, such as "Russian Tissue Forceps" adjacent to the outline of the desired instrument. The custom made brackets, which generally have an irregular shape, are then permanently attached to the tray with rivets. While such trays have advantages, they have several disadvantages too. First of all, they are expensive and time consuming to produce because each tray has to be individualized for each specific customer's request. Second, brackets are not removable and, therefore, there is no flexibility in the layout of the tray. Instrument holding trays, such as described are sold under the trademark MEDITRAY.RTM. by Case Medical, Inc., 65 Railroad Avenue, Ridgefield, N.J. 07657.
Another technique for attaching prior art brackets to a sterilizable tray is to have the brackets slide into a keyway that is provided for on the tray itself.
In an effort to further reduce costs, instrument holding brackets have recently become available which comprise stainless steel or aluminum bodies covered with a thin coat of nylon. The brackets typically have an L-shaped cross section. A pair of studs is attached to the bottom of the L-shaped bracket with nylon serving as the adhesive. The stainless steel or aluminum brackets just described can then be placed selectively or randomly on a tray having a plurality of regularly spaced perforations therein.
While the foregoing describe improvements in the art, they still do not present an optimal structure. What is desired is a bracket that will: withstand high temperatures; provide secure support for heavy instruments, yet light support for delicate instrumentation; provide for complete surrounding by steam; provide for the ability to grab and securely hold heavy and delicate instruments; provide flexibility and strong support at the same time; and, also, provide for the ability to place brackets at a wide variety of locations in order to accommodate a wide spectrum of instruments.
In addition to the foregoing, one of the problems with prior art instrument brackets is the difficulty of efficiently attaching them to a sterilizable tray. One of the most common forms of prior art attachment is to use rivets. Unfortunately, rivet attachments make it impossible to remove a bracket and/or move it around without destroying the tray. Other approaches have been tried, but most tend to be permanent or take a considerable amount of time to attach. The prior art, therefore, appears to be lacking in a simple and efficient mechanism for attaching instrument holders to a sterilizable tray in a secure manner yet, at the same time, permit the instrument holder to be rearranged to accommodate different types of instruments.
It was in the context of the foregoing prior art and the above identified needs that the present invention arose.